US-based meat producer Niman Ranch has unveiled ‘certified humane’ prosciutto to more than 100 chefs in the Bay Area, California.

The prosciutto is said to have been produced using Niman Ranch’s network of independent family farmers raising sustainable heritage-breed natural pork.

Niman Ranch general manager Jeff Tripician said: “We developed this line to honour the time and care our farmers put into raising the animals.

“The age-old process of dry curing high-quality product intensifies the flavour of our heritage breed pork and results in exceptional flavour.”

Niman Ranch claims that its pork is raised humanely and sustainably, resulting in highly marbled legs that are coated in Sicilian Sea Salt to cure in the traditional old-world Italian style.

“We developed this line to honour the time and care our farmers put into raising the animals.”

The new prosciutto will be added to the existing 23-item line of genoa salame, capocollo, hot soppressata, pepperoni as well as pancetta, and will be available in three snack pack varieties, as well as a lunch kit named ‘Gourmet Provisions.’

The prosciutto will be immediately available to chefs and will be rolled out across retail stores, as well as over the internet across the US through family-run distributors.

Niman Ranch founding hog farmer Paul Willis said: “I had no idea there would someday be 728 more farmers, hundreds of great chefs and something called prosciutto.

“To this day, our hogs are raised by small, independent US family farmers committed to sustainable and humane practices.”